Verastem Oncology Announces Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)
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Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)regulatory
NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) is a rule that requires a company to get approval from its shareholders before selling a large amount of its shares, usually over 20%. This helps protect investors by making sure the company doesn't flood the market with new shares without their say, which could lower the stock's value.
inducement grant exceptionregulatory
An inducement grant exception is a regulatory allowance that lets a publicly traded company give stock-based awards to a newly hired employee outside the company’s existing, shareholder-approved equity plan — essentially a signing bonus paid in shares or options. Investors care because these grants can dilute existing shareholders, change executive incentives, and signal the company is using equity to attract key talent, so they are usually disclosed and subject to specific limits and board approval.
stock optionsfinancial
Stock options are agreements that give a person the right to buy or sell a company's stock at a specific price within a certain time frame. They are often used as a reward or incentive, similar to a coupon that can be used later if the stock price rises, allowing the holder to make a profit.
restricted stock unitsfinancial
Restricted stock units are a type of company reward where employees are promised shares of stock, but they only fully own these shares after meeting certain conditions, like staying with the company for a set time. They matter because they can become valuable assets and are often used to motivate employees to help the company succeed.
exercise pricefinancial
The exercise price is the fixed amount at which you can buy or sell an asset, like a stock, when using an options contract. It matters because it helps determine whether exercising the option will be profitable or not, depending on the current market price. Think of it as the set price you agree on today to buy or sell later.
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq: VSTM), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers, today announced the grant of stock options to purchase 73,000 shares of its common stock to eight new employees and the grant of 218,265 restricted stock units to nineteen new employees. The awards were granted pursuant to the Nasdaq inducement grant exception as an inducement material to the employee’s acceptance of employment with Verastem Oncology in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The stock options have an exercise price equal to $6.88 per share, the closing price of Verastem Oncology’s common stock as reported by Nasdaq on January 6, 2026. The stock options to purchase 73,000 shares of common stock granted to eight new employees and 218,265 restricted stock units granted to nineteen new employees will vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) on the one-year anniversary of the employee’s date of hire, with the remaining shares vesting quarterly over the next three (3) years in equal quarterly amounts, provided the employee continues to serve as an employee of or other service provider to Verastem Oncology on each such vesting date.
About Verastem Oncology
Verastem Oncology (Nasdaq: VSTM) is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing new medicines to improve the lives of patients diagnosed with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers. Verastem markets AVMAPKI™ FAKZYNJA™ CO-PACK in the U.S. Our pipeline is focused on novel small molecule drugs that inhibit critical signaling pathways in cancer that promote cancer cell survival and tumor growth, including RAF/MEK inhibition, FAK inhibition, and KRAS G12D inhibition. For more information, please visit www.verastem.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
